


know your place

by grumpin



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s), Pokemon, Pokemon Training, Strangers to Lovers, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23999215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grumpin/pseuds/grumpin
Summary: A young male trainer thinks he has his life together, nestled in a small little cabin off on route 37.  After all, he has his team, a satisfying job, and a livable wage to tie him over. There's not much more he could demand from life.When a trainer in need crashes at his place for the night, he finds himself wanting more from his monotonous life. Thankfully, chasing that mysterious trainer brings him exactly what he was wishing for.
Relationships: Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s), Original Pokemon Trainer(s)/Original Pokemon Trainer(s)
Kudos: 5





	know your place

**Author's Note:**

> i finally worked up the courage to post this ahh!! i know not many people are interested in original works, but this is moreso a personal project that I've been working on for both me and my boyfriend- and i wanted to post it here as a way to sort of organize myself n feel more accomplished about putting out chapters ;; for anyone who manages to stumble across this, though, please enjoy! feel free to leave any criticism at all, i would really appreciate it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Realizing your place is never an easy thing. Especially not when it comes after your head clears from being kicked in the stomach.

You’d realized your place in the world a long time ago. 

You’d like to think that it was sometime during the failed gym challenge you had so boldly tackled as a young child. You suppose that you had made plenty of self-discoveries then- which is why you didn’t consider the adventure entirely fruitless- and somewhere along the way, somewhere between the pain and joys of training with Pokemon, you found your place happily and peacefully. 

No, it might not have been on the championship grounds in front of hundreds of people as your younger self had thought, or by discovering a super rare legendary Pokemon like in your dreams, but you were plenty happy with it. You were settled, and that’s all that mattered. In a way, you wished that you had seen it earlier. But as a child, you were still chasing the dream that everyone had the moment they learned the word- you wanted to be a Pokemon trainer. You were determined to become a Pokemon trainer. For years, that’s what your entire world was. Pokemon. You like to think that everyone has that stage in their life, where all you want to do is anything dealing with Pokemon. Some want to become Pokemon coordinators, some want to run Pokemon daycares, and the very, very special types want to become Pokemon trainers or masters. 

Really, you thought, it was kind of a hit or miss with most kids. Most actual Pokemon masters had been training since they were kids, and almost all of them went on their very own Pokemon journies. That was where they picked up their talent, their strategies, the wild practically conditioned them and showed them how to become real trainers. When it comes down to it, as you’d learned on your own journey, it takes a special sort of magic for the life of a Pokemon master to ‘choose’ you. Either way, on those journeys, you had never heard of a single person being unsatisfied with them. 

So many self-discoveries are made during those adventures. Kids truly learn what their place is with Pokemon during their adventures. And it just so happened that very same thing happened with you. When you first held a Pokeball for the first time, you were absolutely sure that Pokemon, in an essence, was your destiny. That you were for certain destined to be connected to Pokemon. This energy was channeled into your determined heart, pushing you to believe even further that a Pokemon trainer was bound to be your future career. 

Unfortunately, you mused, that was not the case. 

You still remember how amazed you were when the ball split open, when a stream of red light built up the figure sitting right in front of you. You were shaking, your eyes wide and your jaw dropped. At that very moment, everything was magical. You could hardly reflect on just how amazing it was that the tiny capsule in your hands- that the creature standing in front of you- that all that had the power to change the world. And, the most amazing part of it all was that you were the one with that power. It’s embarrassing to look back on now, but you remember truly believing that you could change the world. You could look so far in the future and hear your fans calling your name, you could taste the dust in the air that you and your opponent’s Pokemon kicked up as you fought tooth-and-nail for the championship title. 

This little white and red ball in your hands was your future. You were so certain of that. 

Now that you look back on it, you were right. It was your future. It is your future. The moment you were born into this world, that future was decided for everyone. Pokemon is and forever will be the decided fate for everyone on this planet. It just… was. How that fate was connected, though, varied between individuals. 

For you, it took a short amount of time to realize that Pokemon training- that battling in general- wasn’t your thing at all. Trainers had to have a lot more willpower than you initially thought, you realized. The moment you heard your Pokemon yelp in pain shot heartbreak through your system. In fact, you wondered just how you pushed past it for so long. Especially when it came to just how much you loved your Pokemon, how hurtful it was to know that you were putting them through this pain. 

You still remember what exactly made you change your mind about your destiny to become a Pokemon trainer. It was all thanks to the creature in the ball you held for the first time, your best friend forever and ever. 

She was a small little Fennekin, about a few months older from her original hatching date. You got her through family connections, once your mother had caught news of how determined you were to involve yourself with Pokemon, she called up a Pokemon professor- an old friend, you think she was?- and from then on, the professor let you have your pick of three Pokemon. 

You didn’t think too much on your choice, being young at the time. You thought that fire-types were the strongest, and you wanted to be strong, so you chose the fire-type the moment the words came out of the professor’s mouth. When the professor gave you the ball and allowed you to send her out, you instantly felt a special connection with your new Pokemon. Fennekin, or ‘Isabelle’, as you had renamed her, was an absolutely perfect starter for you. She was quiet, she wasn’t nearly as noisy as the other Pokemon of her species were. In fact, even while battling, she rarely made noise. But she was there for you, and she was the most comforting, empathetic Pokemon you had ever met. When she saw you, she strode up to you, sniffed your pant leg, and nuzzled her cheek against you. 

You can remember the soft feeling of her ears, her familiar warm scent, the way she closed her eyes and leaned into your touch. Your heart was pounding as you accepted that this- this was going to be your starter Pokemon forever. She was going to be with you through everything and anything. Even just remembering it gets your eyes misty, she brought back such a strong feeling of nostalgia whenever she looked at you with those determined eyes. She made you feel strong, and she still does. Which is why you still held some sort of resentment against yourself by letting her go through what you put her through. 

It was painful. You remember it so vividly, but you’re unsure how you ever pushed yourself as far as you did on that day. You recall the short, nervous steps you took up the gym’s steps, your fist curled tightly around Isabelle’s Pokeball. You could hardly keep it still, the sweat from your palms made the Pokeball harder and harder to grasp as you switched it to your opposite hand. At this point, you liked to think of yourself as a competent trainer. You had been through a few scraps before with other, younger trainers, and Isabelle had learned quite a lot from them. Although you made the hasty decision that you were ready for the gym challenge within a week of your adventure, you were still anxious about it. 

You could hear the scuff of the dirt on the battlefield as you faced the gym leader, glaring ahead at them with determination. They seemed so lax compared to you. They simply smiled at you, digging into their pocket to pull out a Pokeball of their own. Their expression was purely seasoned with years and years of experience, there wasn’t a shred of nervousness or inexperience in their body. They gave you a lazy grin and automatically, you could feel yourself raise your arm high in the air to toss your Pokeball. You both launched your Pokeballs onto the battlefield with vigor, watching as a bright flash gave light to the figures that would ultimately determine the outcome of the battle. You couldn’t contain it anymore, you felt yourself call out with the gym leader across from you.

“Let’s do it, Isabelle!” 

“Make it quick, Houndour!” 

Your expression narrowed at the black canine across the battlefield. It’s pink tongue protruding from two jagged fangs, it’s nose twitching with each breath. It tossed it’s head back and howled with fury, it’s claws digging into the hard floor, preparing to leap at your Pokemon with all of it’s might. You looked back at Isabelle and saw she was trying to mimic it’s position, her expression still passive and slightly confused. She glanced back at you, then back at the Houndour- and seemed to understand. She lifted her tail high in the air, trying her best to give the Houndour a fearsome gaze. You smiled slightly, encouraged by the thought of Isabelle doing her very best, and clenched your fists, preparing for the battle. 

“Start it off with tackle, Isabelle!” 

Isabelle wriggled her rump before dashing forward, her head bowing as she charged at the Houndour in front of her. The canine Pokemon stood perfectly still, almost bracing for the impact that Isabelle was about to deliver. You felt hopeful, until…

“Smokescreen, now!” 

Just as Isabelle was about to make connection with the Houndour, a torrent of black grey smoke was released from the canine’s maw. Isabelle skidded to a stop, her paw pads sliding on the dirt. Your eyes widened as you squinted to see any trace of Isabelle, any sight of yellow or red fur- but there was none. You panicked and stuttered as you thought of something to say, but thankfully, it seemed the gym leader’s Houndour was already ahead of you. 

You watched a flash of yellow ascend from the smoke as it was tossed back at your feet, the figure appearing as none other but your Isabelle. She had never been beaten like that before. She had taken some hits, sure, but it was clear to you in that moment that she wasn’t strong enough for this. As you reached out to her to scoop her up, to pull her away from all of this violence, you saw her body shiver and stagger as she pushed herself to her feet. Your hand retracted as she glanced back at you, stamping her paw, waiting for her next move as if nothing happened. But you knew she was hurt. You could see the nicked fur and could see her ears drooping. You had to fight back tears, forcing yourself to continue on for her sake. If you decided to be a coward now, then… 

“A-alright, Isabelle…” Your fists clenched hesitantly as you shook your head, reaffirming yourself as Isabelle’s trainer. This was it. You had to do it now, or you never would be able to. “Come on, use ember!” 

Isabelle’s paw scraped the ground, kicking up bits of sand before her claws sunk into the earth, sending her bounding forward. Her tiny muzzle began to smoke, flickers of embers fading into the wind she was rushing through, the canine Pokemon in front of her crouching down to brace for Isabelle’s impact. You smirked a little. If you could just turn this battle around, if you could just get that slight bit of an upperhand, then you were confident you could carry yourself through. 

The Fennekin skid to a halt before opening her muzzle, releasing a flurry of flames directly into the Houndour. You watched the gym leader’s face contort with an expression, your fist celebratorily getting tossed in the air as you cheered for the fox Pokemon across the field. “Alright, Isabelle! You’ve got it!” 

The expression, you quickly learned, was not one of intimidation or fear. You silenced your cheers quickly as the gym leader crossed their arms and chuckled, your own Pokemon backing away fearfully from the barely scratched Houndor. If anything, the Houndor looked… almost more energetic than before. It sneered at Isabelle, flashing it’s canines, before lifting it’s head in a triumphant howl. Your expression dropped in horror as you watched the Houndor kick it’s legs, the next move that was called out adding to the background noise of the two Pokemon’s claws scattering in opposite directions. 

“Finish it up with fire fang, Houndor!” 

The black dog Pokemon lurched forward, leaping on the terrified fox. The only two words ringing in your head were flash fire. Flash fire. Flash fire. Flash fire. The ability flash fire- a common ability amongst fire-types- allowed the user to absorb fire-type attacks. There was absolutely nothing Isabelle could do to defend herself. She simply didn’t have the means necessary in order to do so. This was stupid. Why did you bring a fire-type Pokemon to a fire-type gym? Why did you set her up for failure so quickly? Why were you so incompetent as a trainer?

You were dragged out of your thoughts by a morbid sound. Isabelle, the happy little Fennekin who hadn’t made a noise since the moment she appeared out of her Pokeball, yelped. Loudly. You had never, ever heard her yelp before. Not like this. And in that moment, you realized that you never wanted to hear it again. You stood frozen in shock for a moment, watching a dark muzzle sink down on yellow fur, the squealing bundle of fur underneath the canine Pokemon kicking it’s legs wildly in a desperate attempt to escape. Something primal inside of you snapped. You couldn’t take it anymore, you couldn’t stand to see your best friend in pain anymore. 

It was entirely illegal as far as Pokemon battling went, but you rushed out onto the field and shoved the canine on top of Isabelle off. In that moment, you didn’t care what happened as long as you could get Isabelle out of danger. Tears flooded your vision as you clutched the matted bundle of fur tight, watching her eyes slowly open and gaze into yours. Across from you, the canine Pokemon was now pushing itself up, snarling as if it were ready to pounce on you and tear your jugular out. Fortunately, it’s trainer whistled to it, and the obedient dog went right next to it’s master’s feet. 

Not that you paid any mind to it. You were too busy with Isabelle. Your tears dropped from your cheeks, staining her yellow fur a darker color as you pushed her head underneath your chin, mumbling promises you knew you couldn’t keep. 

“I’m so sorry, Isabelle. I’m so sorry.” A trembling hand came up to clench her soft paw, your thumb rubbing over her paw pads, smoothing down the rough texture. “I never should’ve- this shouldn’t have- I shouldn’t have let this happen. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I’m sorry I’m such a bad trainer. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” 

The mantra repeated itself as you buried your face into the soft stomach of the Fennekin, listening to her second-ever noise. She whimpered quietly at you, trying her best to put her paws on your cheek to reassure you, if even a bit. Unfortunately, you were too hysterical. You didn’t register the footsteps approaching you until the scene replayed in your head of you rushing out onto the battlefield, of you illegally interrupting a Pokemon match. Oh, right. What punishment would you get? The gym leader would likely yell at you and throw you out. Better yet, he might take your gym badge case and deem you unworthy of ever collecting another badge again. It would likely serve you right. After all, you were such a useless Pokemon trainer…

A strong hand found itself to your head, gently putting pressure on the back of it, forcing you to look up. The harsh stadium lights beat down against your eyes before being obscured by a shadow, the figure dropping down to your level to meet your gaze. You continued to choke on your own sobs as you stared at the figure, identifying them as the gym leader you had fought beforehand. You knew what was coming. You knew they were going to be angry, that they were going to tell you to leave and to never try battling again, that you were a terrible trainer and didn’t deserve to have Pokemon and… 

“Hey, kid. Look at me.” Soothing soft words found their way to your ear as a calloused hand dragged itself across your wet cheeks, wiping away the ongoing teardrops. “You’re fine. You’re perfect. I know what you’re thinking right now… you’re upset, yeah? You think you’re not a good enough trainer for that little guy.” They pointed to the shivering Fennekin in your arms, your tears only getting bigger and hotter as you realized how in pain Isabelle was. “But let me tell you something. That little guy would protect you with it’s life. It doesn’t care how good you are at battling, or how well you do at training, or what kinda clothes you wear, or how many friends you have, none of that junk. Pokemon don’t care about that stuff. They just want to love you.” 

You swallowed one more time, your shaky breathing slowly calming down into a normal pace. “L-love?” You parroted. 

“Yeah, that’s it.” The gym leader tilted their head to the side, a warming smile on their face. “It’s clear how much Fennekin loves you. And, well, as long as you love it back, then that’s all it needs. What else could a Pokemon ask for, am I right?” They chuckled a little as they brushed away a piece of fur from Isabelle’s eyes. “It’ll be okay. Take it to the Pokemon center, it doesn’t need immediate healing. It’ll be fit as a fiddle in no time. You and Fennekin will be up and running faster than you can blink! And whenever you’re ready, you can come and take me on any time. Got it?” 

The hand once again found it’s way to the top of your head, giving your hair a playful ruffle. You flinched from the contact and nodded briefly, pushing yourself back up, bowing to the figure across from you. “Th-thank you… thank you so much…” 

“No problem, kid. Now get out there! Go! There’s so much more to life than crying over a lost gym battle. Come on, come kick my butt next time, ya hear?” 

You gave the gym leader a weak smile and promptly walked out, watching Isabelle sleep the entire time you made your way to the Pokemon center. Their words never truly left your mind. All a Pokemon needs is love. Not training, or battling, or leveling up or evolution… it seemed so opposite of what the entire culture taught you. Balancing love and battling was repeated, but nobody really knew how to do it. At that moment, you don’t think anyone really knew what it meant to love a Pokemon. You wondered how many other trainers had the same bond you and Isabelle had. 

Well, you never really did take up that gym leader on their offer. You still felt bad about it to this day. But you think they’d be prouder to realize that you decided battling wasn’t your thing, and that you improved your strength through other things. Isabelle’s new form, her bipedal hinds and her improved fire power proved this. It still came as a shock to you whenever you saw it, even more so when you remembered that absolutely no battling was involved. You briefly wondered if Isabelle would be able to take on that gym leader in her evolved form, before remembering the promise you made. You would never put her through that pain again. 

You did a pretty good job at upholding that promise. In fact, if it weren’t for that promise, you never would have realized your proper place with Pokemon. Had Isabelle not shown you what a strong distaste you had for seeing Pokemon in pain, you never would have realized that what you truly wanted to do was to help Pokemon. To love the unloved. And, by Arceus, what a rewarding task it was. You wished that everyone could witness the absolute joy you get when you completely rehabilitate a Pokemon. When you help an exhausted trainer with an entire party of fainted or hurt Pokemon and send them on their way in less than an hour. Yes, with this job, you truly learned what it meant to love Pokemon. And you loved helping other trainers learn how to love Pokemon too. 

But you digress, you had to admit that things got a little monotonous. Especially when things were slow, and you had little to no rehabilitations active. Besides the excitement of helping an injured Pokemon, life in general was slow and boring, you realized. Isabelle and Vulpix helped keep things interesting, you supposed, and they tried their best to help you with errands. It was nice. It helped you feel a little less lonely, all secluded out in the middle of a route like you were. 

You glanced over at Isabelle, who was currently helping you carry a few more bags of groceries from your most recent trip to the nearest town (which was always a pain to travel to, you had no flying-type Pokemon, so the entire trip was always made on foot)- her tail swaying passively behind her. Vulpix carried her own load, albeit a much smaller one- a singular bag hanging from her maw as her paws treaded the ground quickly in order to keep up with you. You smirked a little at the Pokemons’ bored expressions, hoping to pick them up a little. “Hey, you two, as thanks for your help, how does curry sound tonight?” 

Isabelle’s tail began to wag more rapidly behind her, Vulpix emitting a muffled cry of happiness as her paws began to move more quickly. You giggled a little, turning your attention forward. The skies were already darkening, and clouds were moving in from each side of the terrain. You supposed that it was going to rain soon. “Alright, then. Let’s hurry back. I don’t want to get rained on!” 

Making it just in the nick of time, you closed the door behind you and watched the two Pokemon heave a silent sigh of relief as they placed the bags down. You did the same, reaching out and massaging their ears briefly in order to help them relax. “Good job, you two. Thank you for helping me. Vulpix, I hate to ask you this, but can you please start a fire for me? I’ll get the pot ready in the meantime.” The chirpy fox Pokemon trilled at you before happily trotting off to the firepit, embers beginning to smolder in it with the fire-type’s presence. Isabelle simply wandered off, seeking to rest somewhere after the long walk. 

You walked to the kitchen, making work of pulling out ingredients for tonight’s dish. Making things both Pokemon-safe and tasty enough for a human to eat too was always tricky, but you liked the work. It was always worth it to see how excited Vulpix and Isabelle got over one of your dishes. As you idly chopped vegetables, you watched the drizzle of raindrops on your window become fatter and thicker, the rhythmatic dripping of the drops becoming heavier and heavier. You hadn’t realized what a nasty storm had come rolling in. Thank Arceus you were able to get home before too late, Isabelle and Vulpix would not be happy about being caught in this type of weather. Especially being fire-types, you mused to yourself. 

Before you knew it, you found yourself stirring the pot to a darkened stew bubbling over a dwindling fire, two anxious foxes watching you, mouths watering. You yipped softly in surprise as Vulpix nudged you and Isabelle pawed at you, wanting to have a taste desperately. “Alright, I know you’re hungry! It’s about done, anyway.” You pulled out three bowls, making sure to serve your involuntary sous-chefs first, smiling with pride as you watched them hungrily dig in, before settling back with a bowl of your own and idly watching the rain. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but none of you really seemed to mind it. To you, it only added to the atmosphere. 

You closed your eyes, thinking of what it would be like to be caught in said weather… you hoped all of the Pokemon trainers who were scheduled to travel down this route were okay. Most should have made it to the Pokemon center, seeing as how there were none presently who wanted to set up camp with you. You sighed a little at that. Things were lonely, and you always appreciated a nice chat with a passing trainer who needed help. You shook your head, depriving yourself of those thoughts, attempting to shift them to something new. 

You wondered what it would be like to be one of those Pokemon trainers. Yes, you knew that you wouldn’t ever turn to their lifestyle after giving it a test run, but you wondered what it was like from their end. No home, no job to work, no place to go, just the open air and a team of friends. Was it fun when you’re successful? Did it get lonely? Was it hard, especially considering weather conditions, hostile Pokemon, and the multitude of other issues trainers had to deal with? You chuckled for a minute to yourself, opening your eyes again to watch the two foxes lick their bowls clean. You can’t believe you ever considered a life as a Pokemon trainer when you had everything you wanted right here. You placed your empty bowl down, allowing the two to lick the remnants of whatever was left, running a hand through their fur. You couldn’t complain about your job. Not when you had it so easy. 

Even then, you noted while you were settling into bed, you do wish things would pick up a little bit. You’d like to see more Pokemon, learn more about them and how to help them. It was always nice to see a brand-new species of Pokemon you had never seen before, and learn everything about them while healing them up. Your eyes opened slightly, interrupting your thoughts as you felt a warm bundle curl up next to you. Vulpix. Isabelle was likely near the end of the bed somewhere. One thing you’d learned was that Vulpix and Isabelle didn’t like their Pokeballs. They would go in if it was absolutely necessary, but otherwise, you found no reason to force them inside. Ah, that was another issue with training, wasn’t it? You aren’t really travelling with your Pokemon. They’re mostly inside of their Pokeballs. After all, travelling with all six Pokemon out could be problematic… 

You found your eyes closing again as you sighed through your nostrils, allowing yourself to think back on what you were mentally discussing with yourself earlier. Yes, you do wish something would happen. You don’t know what, but anything to shake up the monotony you were facing would be excellent. Maybe nothing too catastrophic, but something you could help with- something that you knew you were helping with would be amazing. Isabelle and Vulpix could help, too. Maybe you’d make a new friend along the way. Maybe a new Pokemon could join your party. Maybe…

Before long, you found yourself drifting off to sleep. You don’t quite remember how well you slept, or when exactly you did fall asleep, but you certainly do remember waking up. After the initial minutes of drowsiness, anyways. 

You recall being on that edge of half-consciousness for several minutes, unaware of what was happening around you. Your face was still buried into the comfort of your pillows and warm blankets, your mind desperately screaming at you to fall asleep again without another care. Your eyes continued to flicker open and closed as you desperately fought off the temptation to doze off. Your eyes were forced open a little wider, shocked from a sudden bang coming from your front door. The storm outside had grown worse overnight, the wind now howling against your windows and thunder crashing being heard much, much more often. The raindrops beat down against the windows relentlessly. Now you really, really didn’t want to be caught in a storm like this. Which made you wonder, what unfortunate person (or Pokemon) did?  
Vulpix pawed at you desperately, whimpering as she leapt out of bed and trotted over to the door. You blinked for a moment, composing yourself before following her, watching Isabelle drowsily follow behind. 

You found yourself standing at the door, your hand just extended to gently hover over the brass doorknob. Suddenly, you found yourself unsure. What if it was something dangerous? Something you, Isabelle, and Vulpix couldn’t fight alone? Or what if it was a passerby looking to rob you? You flinched away from the door before finding even more thoughts enter your mind. If it was a hurt Pokemon, you would have neglected them and let them suffer out in the storm. Or, if it was a person, you would have completely rejected them and sent them out to fend for themselves. Those thoughts proved to spur you on entirely as you reached out to the doorknob, swinging it open. 

Two pairs of eyes met, one exhausted and fearful, and the other concerned and warm. Green and blue. Red and blonde. The only thing you two had in common were the black jackets slung across your shoulders. You stood for a moment, unsure of what to say, before your attention was drawn upwards to the large feathery mass they were lifting above themselves. A Pokemon, of course. You knew the name due to seeing it online and in magazines, but you had never seen one in person before. It was even more gorgeous than the pictures made it look. This specific Pokemon, a Togekiss, you recognized- had gradients of the same color on each side of it. You looked up to try and look into it’s eyes, but found they were closed shut, it’s body limp and motionless. Beneath the feathers, you could see black ends to the pure white, and missing clumps of feathers where you could see the poor thing’s skin. You looked back up at the trainer, immediately understanding what to do.

“Please,” they rasped out. A not-quite feminine voice, but not by any standards masculine, either. “Help me.” 

Without a second further, you pulled the trainer and their exhausted Pokemon into the room with you, shutting the door behind you. Isabelle and Vulpix looked alert, ready to assist you with anything you commanded them to do. Kneeling down to their level, you found yourself with an immediate plan of action. 

“Vulpix, go reignite the fire pit. Isabelle, get the cot ready for Togekiss. We’re going to have to assess it.” 

The two Pokemon went opposite ways, preparing what you had asked them to. In the meantime, you turned to the trainer, glancing over them. Their whole identity seemed quite ambiguous. From their size and body shape, you guessed that they were a young female, but that wasn’t important right now. What most concerned you was how most of their face was covered up- thick-rimmed glasses lined their green eyes, a pure white surgical mask obscuring their nose and mouth. If they hadn’t seemed so hurt, you almost would have mistaken them as some sort of team member. Team member or not, a Pokemon was hurt, and you needed to understand what to do. You looked the trainer in the eyes, meeting their serious glance with one of your own.

“Hey, you’re gonna be fine. You made the right choice coming here.” They seemed in shock. Emotionless, staring. Not even a nod. “...Er, can I ask what happened? I’ll be able to help Togekiss more that way. Just tell me what you remember, if anything…”

They blinked at nothing for a moment, before suddenly meeting your gaze. “Lightning.” They mumbled. 

“...Pardon?” You tilted your head to the side. You had a feeling getting answers out of them was going to be difficult.

“Lightning strike.” They clarified. “I… thought we would be fine. I didn’t… know how bad the storm was until we got pushed around, and…” 

Their breath hitched as they stumbled, collapsing to their knees. You flinched and instantly rushed into action, easing the mass of feathers off of their back to ensure they didn’t collapse completely. Upon getting closer to them, you noticed exactly what kind of shape they were in. Their jacket was ripped at the elbows, bloody scrapes and thorns stuck in their clothes and skin. Small cuts littered their face, their pale skin darkened in circles of bruises. They breathed heavily through their surgeon mask, their palms pressed against the floor as they shakily pushed themselves up. Whatever happened wasn’t easy for either party. Perfectly timed, Isabelle rolled in the small cot for Togekiss, allowing you to place the injured gryphon-like Pokemon onto the mattress. With a few quick nods, she was off, taking Togekiss into the small room that you used for recovering Pokemon. 

With Togekiss out of the way, you took some time to tend to it’s trainer, carefully easing the smaller figure up. They shifted and glared at you like they hated your touch, causing a bit of a sting in your heart. You were trying to help them. They had no other options at this point. Couldn’t they see that? As you eased them onto the small futon next to the fire pit, you noticed their body begin to relax a bit, like they finally accepted that you were going to help them. Well, you couldn’t blame them. Lots of wild Pokemon had that reaction when you tried to help, too. They didn’t know any better, of course, because they assumed that you had come to hurt them like the last thing that approached them. Maybe some of that fear carried over into humans, too. Ah, but this wasn’t the time to be thinking about that… you had to deal with something else right now. 

You could hear the sounds of flames crackling behind you, signifying that Vulpix had done her part as you left to tend to Togekiss. You took a deep breath to calm yourself, stepping into the room, pulling on the pair of latex gloves you left beside the tools you use stored neatly in your first aid kit. Isabelle watched with curious eyes in the corner of the room, her paws tucked neatly behind her back, ready to help you in any way she could. You would smile at that if you considered it fitting. You knew she was always going to be a loyal little helper to you. 

You trailed your fingers carefully across the Togekiss’ feathers, checking for any cuts. You noticed that the pure white feathers had been tinted a pink-ish red color around a certain area, following the trail to a large gash in between a cluster of missing feathers. Wincing at the blood, you picked through your first aid kit, searching for an antiseptic. You sighed out loud, mumbling to yourself as you began to pick out any stray twigs and thorns. Wherever they crashed clearly wasn’t a soft landing. Thankfully, Togekiss’ feathers are quite thick and strong, so the Pokemon getting impaled wasn’t really an issue. The real issue was just how many feathers it had lost, and how scarred it looked. It wasn’t going to be able to fly for a while, that’s for sure.

“Isabelle, this doesn’t look good… It hasn’t lost enough blood to be considered critical, but…” You paused your thoughts, trailing off as you worked on wedging a stick from out between the poor Pokemon’s feathers, setting it to the side. “...but my main concern is how it’s going to fly after this. I don’t know if the feathers will grow back. Plus, if it was hit by lightning, like it’s trainer implies…” 

Your brows furrow as you reach forward after removing the thorns and twigs, spreading out it’s wingspan. Togekiss always had an extremely impressive wingspan, but now wasn’t the time to be amazed by it. Especially not when it was in the shape it was in. Clusters of feathers were missing, so much so you could see the actual skin of its wing. Specifically, primary feathers were missing. That was going to put it out of commission for a long, long time. Thankfully, continuing your earlier thoughts, if it was hit by lightning, it wasn’t a direct hit or it wasn’t very strong, as none of the wingspan itself looked charred or broken. You sighed in relief, turning back to Isabelle, digging through the medical kit besides you. “Right, so, there’s nothing broken. At least, nothing really bad… I might put it in a cast just to be sure.” Turning back to the Togekiss, you dipped a few cotton swabs in antiseptic, beginning to clean out the gashes that covered it’s round body. You continued musing to yourself as you cleaned the cuts, focusing on packing them with gauze. “I think it passed out from shock more than any type of trauma or blood loss. Really, it’s quite remarkable how little damage it sustained from a crash like that… you think so too, right, Isabelle?” 

The Braixen blinked at you, unsure of how to respond. Her tongue slowly stuck out in response as you sighed, a smile working itself to your lips. “You’re adorable… you always know how to relax me during these hardcore surgeries.” You snapped your gloves off, tucking the Togekiss’ wings comfortably back into it’s body, allowing it to rest on the cot for a little longer. “Well, my job as a surgeon is done now. Isabelle, we’ve made a breakthrough tonight. This patient will live, all thanks to us. No… thanks to you, Isabelle.” You extended a finger to press her wet canine nose gently, watching her reach up a few paws to rub at her snout afterwards. Giggling, you reached up and ran your hand through the soft of her fur. You don’t know why you were panicking so much. In the moment, you guessed your adrenaline spiked, and no matter how minor the scrape or no matter how small the splinter, you had your mind set on making that Pokemon recover as fast as possible. Still, though, what an unlucky night to get caught up like this. If you hadn’t been home tonight, that trainer very well could have been in an even worse position. No way to get to the next town and getting stuck in the middle of a relentless storm… every trainer’s worst nightmare. You worry for the trainer resting on the futon in your living room. Do they have any other Pokemon that can fly? Or anyone who can come pick them up? Will the storm have ceased by tomorrow? If it has, then they could probably just walk to town, but even then, they might be too tired. Or too hurt. Ah, that’s right, they were injured too, weren’t they? If they crashed with Togekiss, then that makes complete sense. You rose to your feet, watching Isabelle’s curious eyes follow you. 

“Come on. We should probably go check up on Togekiss’ trainer…”

The Braixen nodded, quickly following behind as you made your way back to the trainer. The fire was ignited once more. Vulpix, seemingly satisfied, curled up on one of the windowsills to snooze, the rain still beating hard against the glass, causing bead droplets to roll down rapidly. Right on the middle of the pillow, the lithe trainer sat, their knees tucked into their chest, gaze fixed on their pants. The trainer had a similar condition to Togekiss- nothing seemingly broken or out of place, but they were covered in head to toe with scratches, clothes torn from impact with various amounts of branches and rocks. You noticed splotches of dried blood around their forehead, right where their bangs came to cover up whatever was underneath. Feeling the pillow sink beneath them with your weight as you sat down next to them made them look up at you, their gaze still neutral and… oddly calm, considering the situation they were in. It startled you for a moment, seeing them be so calm and lax. You cleared your throat, awkwardly glancing everywhere but their gaze as you tried to remember what you were going to say.

“Er,” you started off, “Togekiss… it’ll be alright. But I have to tell you- uh-” You continued stammering. Talking to Pokemon was easy for you, but talking with another person was like trying to navigate a dark hallway with a matchstick. Suffice to say, it was difficult at times. “...don’t fly it for a while. I’m sure you knew that, right?” Your voice got a little more meek and timid near the end. You blamed your lack of social interaction for your awkwardness. 

“Yes.” You were surprised to hear that they were a little awkward as well, their voice monotone and flat. Though, that could very easily be the shock speaking for them. Your hands nervously traced over one another as you glanced down at your feet. Okay, well, what now? 

“Yeah, um, I might have to put it in a cast?” Like you were asking them. “Er, no, I mean… yeah, I think I have to put it in a cast. J-just to make sure, you know? Though, if you don’t trust me, you could probably bring it to a Pokemon center for another evaluation. I’m, uh, I’ve done this a lot, though, so you can probably trust me.” You paused for a moment. “If you want, I mean.” 

Their silence brought burning hot shame to your face, your gaze now permanently fixed on everything but the trainer sitting next to you. Talking to people was a lot harder than everyone made it seem.  
“Hmm,” they responded. Nothing but that, just a neutral expression to tell you that they had at the very least heard you. Biting your lip, you desperately tried to think of an opening in order to help them. They clearly weren’t okay, still being injured and as still as a frightened Buneary. Their short responses were likely fueled by their pain, you determined. 

“Yeah, though, uh… you… took quite a beating. What happened, if I can…?” 

Before you could finish your sentence, they interjected, their eyes closed peacefully. “We… decided to fly in the storm from the town before this one. I knew there was a storm, but I didn’t know it was bad. I thought… that the wind could carry us a bit faster to the next town.” Their arms folded across their stomach, their head leaned against the back of the futon. “Lightning struck right in front of us and it spooked me and Swishy. Uh, Togekiss.” Togekiss did have a nickname, then. Swishy. What a cute nickname. “We… I tried pushing her down so we could find a safer path, but the winds got so strong we ended up flailing for a bit. We got knocked into a lot of stuff, and… the next thing I knew, I was on the ground and she was on top of me.”

You nodded along with the story, wincing a little at the details. Getting knocked around and then crushed like that sounded painful. No wonder why they nearly collapsed at your door. Silence suggested that they had finished their story, their eyes now flickering open to stare away from you. You glanced back up at their forehead, noticing the dried blood still stuck, the final droplet ending just above their eyebrow. If there was a cut beneath their bangs, then it needed to be treated. Having an infection on top of all those issues would prove to be an issue. 

“Right, so... you’re hurt, then. If that’s the case, could I maybe help you?” They blinked a little in surprise, looking up at you curiously, their body untensing a bit as if to allow you to get closer. “...Help me? I guess..” You smiled a little at their willingness, moving forward a bit to examine them closer. “Alright… stay still, it won’t be too long…”

Your hand reached up to brush the overhanging bangs out of their eyes, pushing it upwards to their scalp. Oh, ouch. They had a nasty gash that started from their hairline and almost crossed over to the other side of their head, narrowing out. It wasn’t very deep, but it was still a big risk for infection. Your hand instinctively cupped their cheek, wanting to hold them still to let you help them a little more… You had a feeling it wouldn’t exactly be a hard fix, a little antiseptic and something to go over the cut itself and they would probably be okay, no need for stitches or anything drasti-

A foot in the stomach interrupted your thoughts. You doubled back in pain, wheezing for breath as you clutched your belly, your arms protectively curling around the spot that had just been kicked. Your eyes watered as they looked up at the young trainer in front of you. Oh, that would explain why. Apparently, you hadn’t noticed their expression becoming more and more disgruntled as time went on, their face now flushed a furious red and their eyebrows narrowed into a glare. You couldn’t help but feel massively betrayed by this, considering their willingness earlier.  
“Wh-why?” You coughed out. “What did I do?!” 

“What gives you the right to touch me?!” They resorted, fists clenched into balls. “You were trying to assess my body, you pervert!”

“I was trying to help you!” You couldn’t help but feel a little hurt by all of this. The tears forming at the corners of your eyes got bigger from the heart sting it caused. 

“Masking it as ‘helping me’! You really are a sick pervert!” You were shocked at their sudden behavior switch. Before, they seemed so docile and calm, but now they had completely one-eightied and turned on you like a pack of Mightyena. In fact, the more you thought about it, the less heartbroken you became and the more angry you got. You took in their Pokemon, healed them up for no charge, let them rest at your place in the middle of a grueling storm, and this is the thanks you get for it? 

“I really was helping you!” You threw your hands up defensively, now having stood up properly, the pain in your stomach having ceased enough in order to defend yourself. “I was touching you because you were trying to hide that cut across your forehead! Excuse me for worrying, I guess!” You’d feel a little rude about going off like this had they not physically assaulted you. What a shock. Never in your life had you been kicked so unexpectedly. 

“Well, maybe I don’t want you to worry about it.” They pouted, almost akin to a young child. 

“What, and let it get infected and get worse?” 

“Maybe I do want that. You don’t know anything about my life, much less enough to try and touch me!” 

“You’re insane!” Huffing, you turned around and crossed your arms, walking back to your bedroom door, turning off the living room lights on the way. “You know what… fine! Just don’t say I didn’t try and help you.” You could hear the soft, worried little paw pads follow you into your room. You ran a hand through your head, sighing. You were utterly exhausted now. You turned around, your back to the bed as you allowed yourself to fall back on the bed.

“Jeez,” you huffed, Isabelle and Vulpix hoping up on the bed to join you, exchanging worried looks. You sighed, meeting their gazes. “Sorry you had to see that… people nowadays are crazy. Still though, quite the excitement for one night, huh?” Your hand reached out to give each of them a sleepy pet, your head resting back on your pillows. “Well, we deserve some rest. We did a good job today. Hopefully this storm will be over with by the time we wake up…” 

Your eyes began to get heavy enough to force them to close, taking one last deep breath. Even though the trainer had treated you so terribly in thanks for all the hard work you did for them, you still did worry for them. You’d hoped that they’d be able to leave tomorrow… or would have some way to get back home or wherever they intended on going. With Togekiss out, seemingly for a while, you doubted that they’d be able to fly for a while. A smile found its way to your face as you imagined a scenario… having to be stuck with them for at least a week while the storm kept on. Frankly, you can’t imagine yourself lasting a day with how they acted. But it would prove to make an exciting week, at least. And at the very least, you wouldn’t be so lonely… 

Although it wasn’t the best thought to fall asleep on, you could feel yourself drifting off back into a dreamless sleep. The pitter-pattering of the rain beating on the windowsills got quieter and quieter as you tuned it out, soon the only thing you could hear being the sounds of Pidgey chirping serenading you awake, the shock of practically time-skipping being enough to only barely keep your eyes open. You probably had even more hours of sleep, seeing as it was definitely later in the day, but you still felt exhausted. As you sat up, you winced at the residual pain in your gut, clutching it and sucking in a breath through your teeth. Your foot scraped against the hardwood floor as you forced yourself out of your sheets, finding them even more so tangled around you than usual. You continued to lean on the bed as you huffed, trying your best to keep yourself up. A sleepy bundle of red fur found it’s way over to you, little brown paws neatly tucked in front of the fox facing in front of you. Stretching out a hand, you smiled, ruffling the soft curls on top of her head. A sluggish grin found it’s way to your face. 

“Hey, Vulpix.” You scritched the bangs on her head gently. “My stomach still hurts. Should I press charges?” You joked, pulling your hand away from the fox to see a reaction. Her beady little eyes blinked innocently at you as she rested on the bed, staring for a moment. Her maw opened as if she was going to make a noise, before her head dipped suddenly with a loud sneeze. You giggled at her, turning away to head towards the door. “Yeah, you’re right. Trainers don’t really make that much money anyways. Hey, where’s Isabelle?” 

Your feet subconsciously carried you into your living room, where you stood in place as you were forced to realize that the trainer you had met last night… wasn’t there. A pang of sadness struck your heart suddenly. They weren’t the nicest company, sure, but they were company, and that was something you needed. A sigh found its way from your mouth as you crossed your arms, leaning back against the walls. You don’t know why you actually expected them to stay. It would be unfair to them, being forced in, unable to continue their adventure. Maybe they didn’t have the best conditions for doing so, but they were their own person. You were just… you were just being selfish. That must have been it. 

After all, pretty much everyone left. 

The crinkling of paper brought you out of your thoughts. Following the source of the noise, you saw your trusty partner Pokemon, Isabelle, rolling around on the floor with a ball of paper in her paws. As you stepped forward, she flinched from the noise, her fur fluffing up with fear as she immediately scampered away on all fours. You smiled a little at her reaction, picking up the ball of paper she had left behind. “It’s alright, Isabelle, you can have it. Where did you…?” 

As you unfolded the ball of paper, you noticed text. Hand-written text. The handwriting wasn’t exactly elegant or fancy, but it was casual. Familiar. You blinked for a second, trying to wake up your mind enough to comprehend the text. 

‘Thanks for everything. Sorry I kicked you. Here’s a tip.’ 

“...get… This…?” You didn’t notice, but you found your sentence trailing on as you re-read the note a few times. So they did apologize. Wait, a tip? Why did they leave a tip? 

Turning around, you saw your Pokemon staring up puppy-eyed at the dining table. Laying on the table was around a handful of bills, as well as a few coins. You carefully walked over, trying to not let the guilt consume you too much. You didn’t need money, you just wanted to help. But you guessed they did kick you, so maybe that was an extra for the apology… 

Making quick work of counting, you had at least enough Pokeyen to cover next month’s grocery trip. That alone was enough to make you want to track down the trainer and return their money. You really, really didn’t care too much for getting tipped. It made you feel bad. Trainers already didn’t make enough money, but they felt obligated to give some to you just for helping. Agh, yes, it was what got you through, getting some help from the regional government in order to establish a proper ‘rest stop’ on the route you lived on, but you still didn’t need it. Nevertheless, you could always use the extra money, so with a guilty conscience, you pocketed the cash. Running a hand through your hair, you set the paper ball back down for Isabelle to play with, which she happily pounced on and began to kick into the air with her paws. Vulpix squeaked at her, quickly bounding after the paper ball that rolled across the hardwood. 

Settling back onto the futon, you kicked your legs up across the arms, your hands folded neatly behind your head. Although you were fully awake now, your eyes once again found themselves closing. Instead of drifting off, though, you found yourself thinking. 

Everyone that you helped… they always left. And you shouldn’t have been expecting more, but you were so let down when you saw that new trainer disappear. Why? Why is that? Maybe you were just sick of it. Maybe you truly did need human contact. But, well, making friends is hard with how little you get out, and dating- having a true partner to stay with you there- that was… unimaginable for someone like you. It didn’t go well in the past, it probably wasn’t going to go well anytime soon, and you were fine with that. You didn’t need that. You need… you needed… 

“I don’t even know what I need anymore,” you sighed out loud to nobody. The two foxes playing lifted their heads in concern for you, before resuming play a bit quietly as you shifted your body to the side, staring at the ashy fireplace. 

Truthfully, you didn’t know what you needed, but you knew what you wanted. You wanted someone to talk to. The encounters you had while grocery shopping or going out wasn’t enough anymore. You wanted excitement. You wanted contact. You wanted to be reminded that you weren’t alone. 

Even the excitement of trainers randomly showing up on your doorstep was getting stale. It was energizing, of course, and you always felt more than proud to see the relieved smiles on their faces, but it was starting to get stale. Because every single trainer that you made happy just ended up leaving in the end anyways. 

You can remember a few of them. You remember some of them actually talking to you as they waited for their Pokemon to rest and heal. You don’t recall their names, due to just how many of them there were, but you remember who they were as a person. A scared, timid young little girl on her first Pokemon adventure in tears as she witnessed her partner Pokemon faint for the first time. You remember calming her down as you showed her how to help them, telling her of your own first time witnessing Isabelle faint. You remember a spunky, short male trainer with the buckteeth, and how his Sawsbuck had injured it’s leg riding to the next town. You remember hearing him talk for hours while his Sawsbuck rested up about where he’d come from, his dreams to be a gym leader in the city. You remember a boy taller than you in hysterics as he realized his entire team was down and fainted, a frustrated girl who was exhausted from being pursued by team members, a grass-type specialist who’d been caught by a pack of fire-types… 

And the most recent one of all, the crashed trainer with the pretty Togekiss. 

The more you thought about it, the more it upset you. You remember these people. You talked to them. You still think about them to this day. But they likely didn’t remember you. They probably never want to come back to you, if possible. Considering you only help when Pokemon are injured, they want to stay away from you, keep their team as healthy as they possibly can, and you wanted that for them. But you felt so damn selfish for wishing that at least one of them would stay… 

Hot tears rolled down your cheeks as you found yourself staring at the way the roof curved inwards, your breathing shaky as you lifted up a sleeve to rub at your dampened cheeks. “Fuck,” you cursed to yourself, unable to stop most of the tears from flooding down. You felt… pathetic. The pattering of paws on the wood had stopped. You wondered where they had gone until you felt a warm vulpine tongue lick one of your cheeks, whimpering loudly at you. A hand rested on your stomach as you sighed, trying to compose yourself.

“I-I’m-” You swallowed, keeping your voice from shaking. “I’m okay, guys. Seriously.” 

The two vulpines exchanged a glance of worry as they looked back down at you, suddenly assaulting you with warm licks. You squirmed uncomfortably as you lifted your head away from the torrent of tongues. “I’m fine. I’m fine! Isabelle! Vulpix!” An awkward smile found its way to your face as you began to giggle, dissolving into laughter as they tickled you. “I’m okay! I’m- oh my Arceus, I’m not gonna be okay if you keep- doing this!” Your attempts to push their faces away ended in vain as they continued to tickle you breathless, your chest beginning to hurt from how hard it was to breathe. You rolled onto your stomach, curling up to protect your moist face from any more licks. “My Arceus, you two! Can’t you take a hint?” You could feel their fur brush against you as you lifted your head, turning around and pulling them close to your body. “I love you guys. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I would’ve gone crazy a long time ago…” 

Two tongues met your cheeks simultaneously as they snuggled into you further, embracing you in their presence. Fire-types were much warmer than the normal furred Pokemon. It felt… good. It reminded you that someone was there. That someone did care. That you had the two best partners in the world right by your side. Lying like that for a while, you allowed yourself to take it in. You were loved. And you loved right back, and as long as you could have that, that was enough for you. You’d continue to love for as long as you could. 

Not wanting to end the day as it just began, you waited a few moments before sitting up, watching the two foxes by your side shift with confusion. You gave them a sleepy relaxed smile, extending your hand to put on both of their heads. “You two… I thought of something.” 

Yes, this was enough for you. This was your place. Right here, next to the two greatest Pokemon in the world. Helping other trainers realize how great their Pokemon are. How hard their Pokemon work for them. You’d realized how amazing yours were a long time ago.

“Let’s go training. It would be nice to stretch our legs after being trapped in such a big storm, yeah?” 

Vulpix squealed with excitement as she leapt off your lap, bounding forwards to the front door expectantly. Isabelle put her forepaws on your sleeve, tugging at you in anticipation as you laughed, sitting up and following her. “Alright, I know you’re excited! I’m excited too.” 

Swinging the door open, you took a step into the new day. The sun was shining, the ground wet with puddles, chilling the air ever so slightly to cool down the warm day. You’d found your place, and you were happy. No matter how unordinary things got, you would always have this. You would always have your Pokemon and yourself. 

No matter what, you had your place. And that was all you needed. 

Well, that was what you thought, anyway.


End file.
